August 2012
Advancing
STEM Education
with GIS
Table of Contents
3Introduction
Advancing STEM in Formal Education with GIS
6 Combining Math, GIS, and Community
Service
11 Texas Students Use GIS to Track H1N1 Flu
14 Visualizing the Results of High-Impact
Student Field Experiences
Enriching STEM in Informal Education with GIS
18 Geospatial Summer Camp
24 4-H Club GIS Programs Support Science and
Technology Training
28 Intensive Summer Course for High School
Students
Strengthening STEM Career Paths with GIS
32 Maine High School Geography Teacher
Emphasizes Geospatial Thinking
35 The Learning is Exponential: Using a
Community-Based Approach
38 Spatial Statistics Provide New Insights:
Researcher Sees Possible Links Between MS
and Other Diseases
Collaborations and Partnerships
42 Unlocking the Educational Potential of
Citizen Science
45 Students and Farmers Become Citizen
Scientists
52 Helping Conserve Resources in Natural Caves
55 Conclusion: A Closer Look at the Benefits of
GIS in STEM Learning
57 Learn More
Advancing STEM Education with GIS 2
Introduction
By Tom Baker, Esri Education Manager
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education
•At all levels of educational attainment, STEM job holders earn
is a multidisciplinary approach to improving education, the work
11 percent higher wages compared with their same-degree
force, and national competitiveness. President Barack Obama
counterparts in other jobs.
noted that “Strengthening STEM education is vital to preparing
our students to compete in the twenty-first century economy,
and we need to recruit and train math and science teachers to
support our nation’s students.” (White House Press Release,
September 27, 2010).
•Over the past 10 years, STEM jobs grew three times faster
than non-STEM jobs. STEM jobs are expected to grow by
17 percent during the 2008–2018 period versus 9.8 percent
growth for non-STEM jobs.
•In 2010, the unemployment rate for STEM workers was 5.3
Why is STEM important?
percent; for all other occupations, it was 10 percent.
High-quality STEM education directly supports STEM-based
STEM education is about robust and coherent STEM curriculum
careers and, collectively, a work force that is more globally
and experiences that are multidisciplinary, integrative problem-
competitive. STEM education requires effective curriculum
solving inquiries that foster critical and computationally driven
standards, high-quality teacher preparation, and support for
thinking. It is about engaging students with real data in real
national policies and frameworks.
problems that are approached creatively and collaboratively,
Central to global competitiveness and economic development,
STEM careers are at the forefront of innovation and are stable,
lucrative, and rapidly growing. “Technological innovation
the way professionals need to work. More broadly, the STEM
education initiative is also about ensuring an adequate supply of
highly qualified and effective STEM teachers.
accounted for almost half of US economic growth over the past
50 years, and almost all the 30 fastest-growing occupations in the
next decade will require at least some background in STEM.”
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
GIS Introduction
3
How does GIS enhance STEM learning?
Geographic information system (GIS) technology can engage
several critical elements in STEM curriculum and instruction. GIS
tools and techniques lead to understanding cross-disciplinary
phenomena and solving problems rooted in academic and realworld concepts. People use GIS to make maps, analyze data,
and decide on best solutions. From a curricular perspective,
GIS allows us to study climate change, design cities, inventory
geologic samples, plan ecological growth models, catalog
contents of an archaeological site, and countless other activities.
GIS and related geospatial technologies of global positioning
systems (GPS) and remote sensing can be used to simultaneously
engage students in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Instructionally, GIS is well suited to driving problem-based
learning (PBL), an approach to classroom inquiry that is guided by
a question, with students collecting data and making analytical
conclusions. PBL and inquiry are specifically suggested by the
National Science Education Standards as instructional frameworks
best suited to support deep, meaningful learning. GIS allows
students to collect and visualize authoritative data about the
question of interest, adding their own data to the map before
performing a wide range of analyses on the data in question.
GIS problems are steeped in both critical thinking and spatial
thinking elements, motivating learners as they learn work forceready skills. In short, GIS allows STEM students to do exactly what
STEM professionals do in thousands of career fields daily.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Introduction
4
Advancing STEM in Formal
Education with GIS
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Advancing STEM in Formal Education with GIS
5
Combining Math, GIS, and Community Service
Teacher Inspires Students to Use GIS to Solve Real Problems
By Steve Obenhaus, Olathe North High School
Steve Obenhaus, a math teacher at Olathe North High School
analytic functions and see spatial patterns that are not apparent
in Olathe, Kansas, has proved that you do not need extensive
with a graph or table.”
GIS training to effectively and meaningfully integrate geospatial
technologies into a high school curriculum.
Integrating GIS in secondary curricula is a relatively new concept.
Finding an approach that will hold students’ short- and longterm interest can be difficult. Obenhaus has succeeded in
incorporating GIS in his math courses and has helped his students
produce high-quality GIS projects.
Students in the school’s Distinguished Scholars program spend
one hour per day during their senior year completing a senior
project. This program offers students individualized lesson plans
in a specific discipline. Since Obenhaus and another teacher
introduced GIS to the school, student scholars in geoscience,
biotechnology, and math have used GIS in their projects.
Obenhaus has a simple approach: ask a question about
something that is bothering you and use GIS combined with
math to answer the question. “I teach math, which is more of a
Obenhaus and former student Elizabeth Vidaurre test water at one of the
newly built wells in Haiti.
tool than a subject,” explained Obenhaus. “By combining GIS
and math, students use both tools to answer spatial questions
about the world. Only with GIS can they quickly perform multiple
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Combining Math, GIS, and Community Service
6
His official GIS training was a two-week institute at a local
His next step is helping students figure out a problem-solving
university. Most of his GIS training has been informal. “I realized
approach that combines math and GIS. Students learn the
that GIS is very flexible. I played around with it and realized it
basic functions of ArcView during in-class lessons taken from
could be used in so many ways in my classes. You don’t need
the Esri Press book series Our World GIS Education. These
six months of training to have students do simple projects,” said
textbooks include interdisciplinary GIS lesson plans for different
Obenhaus.
academic levels. Once students have a basic understanding of
When questions arise that he cannot answer, Obenhaus
GIS, they stop working on prepared lessons and start working
challenges students to figure out the answers before he does
using ArcView online help. When questions cannot be answered
using online help, Obenhaus calls on city and county GIS
professionals who help. Some local professionals come into class.
According to Obenhaus, students really enjoy learning from
people who use GIS in their career.
In Obenhaus’ classroom, the first step in creating a project
is having the students think spatially about a problem. He
says that coming up with a question is the easy part, because
most problems have a spatial component. “I learn from
others’ examples, so when I find good data online, I think
about a question students can answer with it. When I see how
professionals solve problems, I start to see the possibilities of
what can be done in my own community.” This year, his students
are collecting data about the water quality of a local stream
before, during, and after a construction project. They are using
GIS to look at changes not only along the length of the stream
but also over time.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
With help from a Kansas GIS professional, Vidaurre used ArcView to
identify the highest clusters of children without access to clean water. With
this information, she located six new wells where they would benefit the
greatest number of children.
Combining Math, GIS, and Community Service
7
on independent projects. In these projects, they ask a spatial
traveled to Haiti with donated supplies and trained Haitians to
question and find the data needed to answer it.
test the water.
Obenhaus gives students the necessary tools, GIS training, a
This work was assisted by one of Obenhaus’ students, Elizabeth
question, and an approach to problem solving. Then he lets
Vidaurre, who went on to develop her own related project.
students figure out a solution. “They pick up GIS really quickly
A distinguished math scholar at Olathe North High School,
when they play with ArcView during their own project, learning by
Vidaurre combined her math and GIS skills in a senior project for
trial and error,” said Obenhaus.
determining how to select well locations that would benefit the
There is a common thread in his students’ projects. In addition to
greatest number of children in need.
answering a spatial question, students have followed Obenhaus’
The water testing results, combined with the clinic’s records on
philanthropic example and worked on projects that serve
the number of children and where they live, were the basis for
communities, whether these communities or local or half a world
Vidaurre’s research project. “We had two unique data layers that
away.
no one else had,” said Obenhaus, who had students use ArcView
Obenhaus and his wife do volunteer work for a maternity and
to create basemaps from the data.
neonatal clinic, Maison de Naissance, in a rural area of southern
“At first I thought it would be like playing a computer game, but it
Haiti. The clinic’s mission is to decrease maternal and infant
was serious work to use GIS,” said Vidaurre. “It’s a tool that helps
mortality rates in an area with extreme poverty.
you solve real problems. I could have done the project without
Water-based diarrheal diseases are the leading cause of infant
mortality in the developing world. When the clinic received
GIS, but it would have taken much longer to analyze data and
would not have been as accurate.”
funding to build wells to give more families access to clean water
With help from a Kansas GIS professional, Vidaurre used ArcView
sources, the clinic director asked Obenhaus if he and his students
to create buffers around the homes of families living more than
could locate these wells.
350 meters from a clean water source. With this information, she
He agreed. When he began the project, Obenhaus had little
knowledge of water testing and locating water sources. He began
analyzed where the highest clusters of children without access to
clean water were located.
by asking a water analyst how to test water quality. He then
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Combining Math, GIS, and Community Service
8
The project was successful, but it took a few attempts to get
“Because of learning GIS, writing the paper, and presenting the
it right. Obenhaus and Vidaurre worked together to find a
results, I feel more prepared for life,” said Vidaurre. “As a high
quantitative approach for locating wells. Vidaurre ran chi-square
school senior, I was networking with CEOs to fund-raise for my
tests to first determine if access to a deep-drilled well was an
project. It helped me feel more confident as an intern working
advantage. She found there was an advantage: the data showed
at a health systems IT company.” The CEO and others were
a strong correlation between the presence of E. coli and hand-
impressed by her project and, during her summer internship, had
dug wells and open springs. By finding the best location for six
Vidaurre present ways GIS could benefit their company.
wells, 1,180 children in need would have access to clean water.
Presentations about her work in Haiti not only resulted in
donations for her project but made her a recipient of the Spirit
of Philanthropy Youth award from the Association of Fundraising
Professionals (AFP).
After graduation, Obenhaus brought Vidaurre to Haiti to see the
results of her work. Looking back on the experience Vidaurre
said, “I have traveled in Latin America, but I had never seen a
country that was so underdeveloped. I saw babies who were
malnourished and kids with bellies bloated from worms. It was
important to me to see the places I mapped and meet people. It
wasn’t just about wells, because personal experiences and new
relationships remain most important to me.”
Obenhaus keeps Vidaurre, who is now a junior at the University
of Rochester, up-to-date on the latest work done at Maison de
Naissance. Difficulties in gathering data have made it difficult
In developing countries, children often do most
of the water collection. Closer access to safe
water not only improves their health but also
gives them greater opportunities to attend
school.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
to show a decline in rates of pediatric water-related diseases.
Nonetheless, Dr. Stan Shaffer, director of Maison de Naissance,
sees the work of Obenhaus and his students as beneficial.
Combining Math, GIS, and Community Service
9
“In poor communities, such as the villages of rural Haiti, it is
Obenhaus’ teaching approach can be replicated for advanced
critically important that health needs be carefully defined so that
placement human geography, math, community service
critical resources can be targeted for their highest impact,” said
programs, and other courses, both traditional and nontraditional.
Shaffer. “Steve and students such as Liz are demonstrating how
mapping is an essential tool for organizing health information.
(This article originally appeared in the Spring 2009 issue of ArcUser.)
You wouldn’t attempt microbiology without a microscope, so
it’s not surprising that Steve Obenhaus says that we shouldn’t
attempt community health work without good maps.”
Obenhaus’ students continue working on the wells project. For
example, they found that not only were new wells needed, but
old wells had to be repaired. The latest student projects look at
other health-related issues such as what happens to the quality
of water once it leaves a well. Students found that just because
water is clean at its source does not mean people drink clean
water, so they are now trying to figure out how collection and
storage methods affect water quality.
Obenhaus, who is clearly an inspiration to his students,
downplays his influence. “It’s easy to look good when you
are surrounded by smart kids who work really hard to make a
difference in the world,” said Obenhaus. “To me, this is not work,
it’s fun.” In 2007, Obenhaus was selected at the state level to
receive a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and
Science Teaching.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Combining Math, GIS, and Community Service
10
Texas Students Use GIS to Track H1N1 Flu
By Penny Carpenter, Byron Martin Advanced Technology
Center, Lubbock Independent School District
Last April, when the spread of H1N1 (swine) flu began, students
The Texas Department of Health’s Web site posted a confirmed
in Texas watched with a vested interest. The Texas Education
case count by county and provided daily updates. Students
Agency made recommendations to reschedule or cancel area
created a list of Texas counties in a spreadsheet and entered
and state-level competitions in an effort to limit student travel
the data of confirmed cases. Next, students used the school’s
and minimize contact. With events approaching, like prom, spring
concerts, and even graduation ceremonies, students waited
as local school districts made careful decisions. Some districts
halted student travel and others canceled school classes for a
period of weeks.
Lubbock Independent School District GIS teacher Penny
Carpenter knew GIS tools would be used to monitor and inform
the public of the flu’s pandemic potential, and she saw a unique
opportunity for her students. Philosophically, Carpenter motivates
students with relevant real-world topics, and the reality of H1N1
flu had certainly captured her students’ attention. They found
maps of countries and states with confirmed flu cases but none
of Texas counties. Because the outbreak originated in Mexico,
students looked to the border towns for reported infections, and
that is when geographic inquiry began: Where were the counties
in Texas with confirmed H1N1 flu cases?
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Students join flu data from a spreadsheet to the Texas counties attribute
table to symbolize the case counts with graduated colors. In addition,
data containing major highways, large cities, and locations of H1N1 flu
deaths were layered.
Texas Students Use GIS to Track H1N1 Flu
11
ArcGIS Desktop ArcMap application to create a basemap of
it affects them.” Funk now contemplates areas of study that
Texas counties. They joined the map’s attribute table to the
will develop his ability to construct datasets and analyze them
spreadsheet data by matching county names. After discussing
appropriate breaks for the data range, the quantities of confirmed
cases were mapped using graduated colors.
During the initial analysis, students discovered the darkest colors,
representing the highest number of confirmed cases, appeared
in the heavily populated areas, not the border counties. They
discussed common aspects these areas shared that could explain
the flu’s spread. In the GIS, students added a layer of roadways
and airports for comparison. Although each major area had a
large airport, all areas were connected with major highways. This
analysis supported the theory that travel by car was more likely to
explain and continue the spread.
Students continued to update the data over the next several days
KCBD TV reporter Ann Wyatt films Tyler Funk as he uses ArcGIS
Desktop to animate the spread of H1N1 flu in Texas counties.
and watched the flu spread along the roadways. Confirmed cases
colored counties on the map moving west on Interstate 20, the
major highway that connects Lubbock to the rest of the state via
through graphic representation. Carpenter believes she teaches
Highway 84. On the last day of school, the first confirmed case
more than building maps. “When students can visualize and see
for Lubbock County was announced. The local television station
the data on a map, they begin to analyze, and this promotes
broke the story and featured the work of Carpenter’s students.
higher-level thinking skills,” she says.
Their GIS skills created a visual element that was relevant and
meaningful to all of western Texas.
Student Tyler Funk explains, “I’m just in awe that I can build the
maps in GIS to help other people understand the data and how
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Texas Students Use GIS to Track H1N1 Flu
12
About the Program
Penny Carpenter teaches Geographic Information Systems and
Global Positioning Systems (GIS/GPS), an innovative course she
proposed that was approved by the Texas Education Agency. It
is one of many skill-based or career and technology education
courses offered at her campus, the Byron Martin Advanced
Technology Center (ATC). Courses are available at the ATC
to all students from the four high schools within the Lubbock
Independent School District. These weighted credit electives
require no special application process, and many allow students
to earn technical preparation or dual college credit. These
courses promote career skills, and some provide opportunities for
students to earn industry-recognized certifications. Career and
technology education courses like GIS/GPS provide students with
a pathway to the workforce and/or higher education.
(This article originally appeared in the Winter 2009/2010 issue of ArcNews.)
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Texas Students Use GIS to Track H1N1 Flu
13
Visualizing the Results of High-Impact Student Field Experiences
By Matthew North, Associate Professor of Information Technology
Leadership, Washington & Jefferson College
Since the 2007 publication of an Indiana University study on
With the emphasis now placed on high-impact practices,
the value of engaged student learning, institutions of higher
professors face a sometimes daunting task of developing and
education throughout the world have increased their focus on
offering engaging, impactful learning experiences for their
what are now referred to as high-impact learning experiences.
undergraduate students. GIS can serve as an excellent tool to
Dr. George Kuh, the study’s principal author, defines high-impact
enhance such lessons and complement high-impact experiences
learning as instructional practices that measurably increase
in a variety of fields and disciplines.
student retention and engagement. Such experiences can range
from internships or mentoring interactions to hands-on laboratory
or fieldwork. Kuh offers 10 specific types of high-impact learning
available to educators. These include collaborative projects,
undergraduate research, common intellectual experiences, and
community-based learning. Regardless of their exact structure,
the evidence is clear that high-impact opportunities enhance
both early comprehension and durable knowledge in students.
Kuh says:
A recent summer research project offered an opportunity to
couple high-impact learning practices with ArcGIS through an
Esri educational teaching and research lab kit. One professor and
two undergraduate students at Washington & Jefferson (W&J)
College, a small, private, four-year school just south of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, were afforded the chance to travel to the country
of Costa Rica, where they participated in a water quality and
contamination research study. Together with their faculty mentor,
the students traveled to various regions of Costa Rica to sample
“The results clearly show that colleges and universities should do
river water downstream from population centers and industrial
everything possible to encourage undergraduates to participate
activity. Water samples were collected at numerous river sites
in at least two high-impact activities, one in the first year and
and tested for mercury and other contaminant metals, as well
one later in their studies. Such experiences will better prepare
as petrochemicals, that could be washed into river systems
students for a productive, satisfying lifetime of continuous
as a result of urban residential, manufacturing, or commercial
learning.”
agricultural activity.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Visualizing the Results of High-Impact Student Field Experiences
14
field data collected in Costa Rica into existing GIS data in a lab
setting to explore spatial relationships. For example, they can
investigate the relationship between the prevalence of various
river contaminants and their proximity and impact to such areas
as sea turtle nesting grounds. In turn, students are able to use
GIS to model and analyze upstream zoning, environmental
mitigation, and compliance enforcement efforts as they relate
to contaminated rivers. This hands-on approach, using authentic
data, has markedly improved students’ comprehension and
retention of spatial skills and competencies.
Water Quality Closer to Home
Further, the use of authentic field experiences and ArcGIS analysis
has been successfully replicated in less expensive and less travelintensive ways closer to home. Southwestern Pennsylvania, where
Using ArcGIS for Desktop in the lab, authentic Costa Rica field data was
joined with existing GIS layers. Rio Parismina and Rio Jimenez (labeled) do
not flow from heavily populated areas yet show elevated levels of heavy
metals. These rivers flow toward a nesting area for multiple sea turtle
species.
W&J College is situated, is the current heart of Marcellus shale
This project alone was a high-impact experience for the two
gallons of contaminated water each day at sites throughout the
students who were fortunate enough to participate in the field;
Marcellus formation region. Much of this water finds its way into
however, once back on campus, the data collected and the field
natural waterways in the college’s immediate vicinity. Students are
experience design have resulted in opportunities for numerous
now able to learn about, research, analyze, and report on issues
additional students, as well. ArcGIS has played a central role in
in the area they call home, adding a sense of personalization
enriching learning for students. Through the use of joins and
and urgency to their college experience. Some of these students
relates in the software, students have been able to integrate the
come from families that earn their livelihood in the natural gas
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
natural gas exploration and development. Hydraulic fracturing, or
“fracking,” as it has come to be known, is a primary process used
in the extraction of shale gas—a process that yields thousands of
Visualizing the Results of High-Impact Student Field Experiences
15
industry, so an inherent opposition to gas drilling is not prevalent,
especially prior to lab exercises. As students have collected and
analyzed water quality data, an appreciation for the impacts of
fossil fuel exploitation has been observed, opening the door
for meaningful and informed conversations about meeting the
world’s energy demands while caring for an increasingly taxed
planet.
Through high-impact learning experiences such as these, a
generation of college graduates armed with an understanding of
competing forces and the ability to use tools such as ArcGIS to
make informed decisions is what is needed to strike the delicate
balance required for future energy and environmental stability.
Dr. Matthew North is an associate professor of information
technology leadership and an affiliated faculty member with
the Environmental Studies Program at Washington & Jefferson
College in Washington, Pennsylvania. He has published works
on GPS and GIS technologies and is the author of Life Lessons &
Leadership, Agami Press, 2011.
The author offers sincere thanks to Dr. Robert Hijmans of the
University of California, Davis, for the use of GIS data from the
DIVA-GIS project.
(This article originally appeared in the Winter 2011/2012 issue of ArcNews.)
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Visualizing the Results of High-Impact Student Field Experiences
16
Enriching STEM in Informal
Education with GIS
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Enriching STEM in Informal Education with GIS
17
Geospatial Summer Camp
Role of Technologies Expanded from Research to Teaching
By Kerry Lagueux, Heather Deschenes, and Maria Elena Derrien
The Harbor Discoveries Summer Camp is an environmental
The academic component of Harbor Discoveries sets this summer
science day camp with a marine science focus. Harbor Discoveries
program apart from many others. Each week’s curriculum focuses
is the first camp program to make extensive use of the Boston
on a particular theme. Using inquiry-based methods, the camp
Harbor Islands National Recreation Area as a living laboratory
examines the interdependence of living things and compares
for aquatic science education and environmental stewardship.
similarities and differences among local habitats. By emphasizing
Through a combination of hands-on science and traditional camp
scientific process skills, the program imparts informal science
activities, the program seeks to foster an appreciation of the
learning almost without students realizing it. Through hands-on,
importance of habitats for all life and helps prepare campers to
field-based experiences, participants are exposed to a variety of
become future advocates for the planet.
environmental issues pertaining to the marine environment.
GIS and GPS technologies are integrated into the camp week
called Sea Lab, which is focused on budding marine scientists
in the eighth and ninth grades. The Sea Lab week uses current
research practices to explore marine biology, ecology, and
now geography. This week was chosen because it focuses on
hypothesis-driven research, which allows spatial thinking and
concepts to be easily integrated with these activities. To keep the
GIS and GPS component a hands-on one for all campers, class
size was limited to 12 students and counselors ensured that each
camper had the opportunity to interact with the GIS system and a
GPS unit.
Campers search for crabs located in the survey plot.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Geospatial Summer Camp
18
During this rigorous week, campers worked side by side with
New England Aquarium researchers and camp counselors. They
learned about scientific inquiry by developing hypotheses,
performing fieldwork, and analyzing results. Before heading out
into the field, they spent time in the classroom learning about the
ecological components of the study, methodology, techniques,
and technology. Classroom time also included fun team-building
exercises. The aquarium is just a short boat ride away from the
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, which provided
an excellent field laboratory for the study of marine ecology.
During the week, campers explored the six islands, took samples
and measurements, and recorded and mapped the results.
Real-World Examples of GIS Use
A summer camper takes a dissolved oxygen
measurement of the sample site.
In addition, having a GIS and GPS component in the curriculum
gave campers the opportunity to acquire spatial-thinking skills.
The New England Aquarium has used GIS in its research
President George W. Bush’s High Growth Job Training Initiative
analyzing the spatial patterns of North Atlantic right whales
has defined geospatial technologies as one of the leading job
(Eubalaena glacialis) relative to fishing and shipping activities,
growth areas, and spatial thinking has been identified by the U.S.
which are two of the leading causes of mortality for this
National Research Council as critical to success in the workplace
species. Because geospatial technology is an important and
and science.
growing component of the New England Aquarium’s research,
camp program directors wanted to incorporate GIS and GPS
technology into the analysis of the data collected by campers.
Researchers and counselors teamed up with campers and
provided examples of how the aquarium employs these
technologies in its research.
After a short introductory lecture on GIS and GPS technology,
campers worked a small tutorial that taught them the essential
elements of a map and how to add data and symbolize layers.
Before heading out into the field, campers also tested GPS
units. They could explore the units of latitude and longitude,
as well as positional accuracy, and how this relates to potential
problems with buildings that block the direct line of sight to the
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Geospatial Summer Camp
19
sky. Counselors gathered the coordinates students collected and
water quality parameters using appropriate instruments (e.g.,
displayed these locations using the GO TO X,Y tool in ArcGIS 9.2.
pH meters, salinity meters). In the last step, all the crabs in the
These coordinates were displayed on a map with high-resolution
quadrat were collected and placed in a bucket to be sorted by
photographs.
species, then sized and sexed. Finally, it was determined which
females were pregnant.
Enhancing Crab Study with GIS
At the end of each day, campers transferred data from field
This year’s study focused on crab ecology. specifically crab
data sheets to a spreadsheet that replicated the data sheet
population dynamics relating to water quality and substrate.
but also automatically converted the degrees, minutes, and
Campers, organized into small groups, collected data on
seconds obtained from the GPS units to decimal degrees for easy
dominant crab species, diversity of crab species, percentage of
integration with ArcGIS.
females, and percentage of pregnant females. Along with the
crab information, the campers collected information on water
temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and substrate type.
Secondary topics covered were water pollution, invasive species,
and potential correlation between environmental variables and
crab biology.
Campers also spent a night on one of the islands. This trip
featured many fun activities and required that campers make at
least five maps. Each group received detailed instructions that
included how to bring the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet into the
GIS program; change the symbolization; and add a title, north
arrow, and scale bar to their final maps.
As they explored the biological and physical diversity of this area,
campers visited seven Boston Harbor Islands. When the campers
arrived at the sampling site, they laid down a quadrat (a sample
area, in this case, a square- meter rectangle) within the intertidal
zone. Intertidal height varied at each site depending on the tidal
stage, but the study mainly focused on midintertidal regions.
At each site, the campers used the GPS units to determine the
latitude and longitude position and recorded this information
on a data sheet. Next, campers took measurements of various
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Geospatial Summer Camp
20
As campers finished their maps during the evening, counselors
and campers discussed the findings from the week and how
to display the results on the maps, emphasizing potential
geographic and biophysical factors. Campers had access to
tables of historic water quality data so they could compare their
results to measurements over the past decade.
On the final day, campers arrived back at the aquarium, bleary
eyed but eager to finish the project. Office supplies were on hand
to help campers assemble posters that explained their methods
and findings and displayed the spatial patterns of their results.
Conclusion
Geospatial technology was easily integrated into the Harbor
A map of the substrate type at each sample site was created by the
summer campers for the poster displays.
Discoveries Summer Camp and became a perfect complement
to the field component of the Sea Lab week. The use of GIS and
Each group of campers decided which crab variables and water
GPS technology will be incorporated into other weeks of the
quality parameters it would map to make sure all the field
summer camp to allow for broader spatial education. Campers
measurements were represented on maps. This data was overlaid
who participate in plankton tows will record their locations and
on a basemap of data layers downloaded from MassGIS (www.
map the plankton distributions. Other campers who will be
mass.gov/mgis/) to provide the spatial context for the mapped
sailing for a week will map their locations, record interesting
parameters. Each map was created from a template, but each
observations along the way, and prepare souvenir maps of their
group could choose colors and symbolization as well as a title
travels to take home.
for the map. The counselors provided guidance on symbols and
titles that helped make the maps more easily understood.
The integration of these technologies increases not only the
spatial awareness of the students relative to their travels during
summer camp but also to the spatial relationships in the marine
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Geospatial Summer Camp
21
world. Next year, the camp directors will work on ensuring all
Heather Deschenes is the supervisor of the Harbor Discoveries
study variables have logical ecological connections.
camp and has worked at the aquarium for more than 10 years.
She has helped forge many partnerships between the program
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Esri for the generous donation of three ArcGIS
and scientists willing to share their expertise with the camp
participants.
Desktop ArcView licenses. This project would not have been
Maria Elena Derrien graduated with dual bachelor’s degrees in
possible without this support. Also, Harbor Discoveries thanks
biology and marine science from East Stroudsburg University
these founding corporate sponsors: New Balance Foundation,
and received a master’s degree in marine ecology from the
Germeshausen Foundation, Roy A. Hunt Foundation, TJX
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. During more than 10
Foundation and the AGM Summer Fund, and the City of Boston.
years working in the field of science education, she has taught
These organizations make it possible for 50 percent of the camp
environmental education and created curriculum for the New
participants, who are Boston residents, to come to camp for
England Aquarium’s Harbor Discoveries program. She is currently
little more than a minimal copay. Scholarship applicants must
an elementary science teacher for kindergarten, first, and fourth
complete a two-part art and essay project to be eligible for a
grades at Buckingham Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge,
scholarship.
Massachusetts.
Kerry Lagueux is an associate scientist at the New England
(This article originally appeared in the January–March 2008 issue of ArcUser.)
Aquarium where his research focuses on analyzing patterns
of marine animals relative to oceanographic variables and
anthropogenic impacts. He holds a master’s degree in geography
from Western Washington University and a bachelor’s degree
in geography from San Diego State University. His professional
interests include spatial modeling, satellite tagging, marine GIS,
geographic visualizations, and education relating to geospatial
technologies.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Geospatial Summer Camp
22
4-H Club GIS Programs Support Science and Technology Training
Members Prepare for Future Education and Employment
By Jim Baumann, Esri
Across the United States, 4-H clubs have implemented GIS
programs—supported by grants from Esri—that have enhanced
members’ understanding of science and technology and enriched
their communities.
Jim Kahler, 4-H program specialist, United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA), comments, “GIS technology contributes to
the 4-H science program goals because it teaches youth about
a technology that most have never used. They also learn more
about the subject that they are mapping—plants and animals,
wildlife, natural resources, or historic places. GIS is also a good
tool to integrate with other 4-H content areas, such as nutrition
and health, citizenship, and communications.”
A. B. Graham, a school principal in Springfield, Ohio, is credited
with starting what was to become the 4-H Club. In 1902,
motivated by the large numbers of young people who were
leaving their farms for work in the city, Graham began promoting
after-school programs to educate youth in the practical arts
of scientific agriculture to improve crop harvests and safely
preserve food. The national 4-H organization was officially
formed in 1914 when the United States Congress created the
Cooperative Extension Service within USDA, consolidating
Advancing STEM Education with GIS A joint project between two 4-H Club Tech Teams in
Iowa to map the trails and facilities available in local
recreational areas.
4-H Club GIS Programs Support Science and Technology Training
23
various boys’ and girls’ clubs that were involved with agriculture,
home economics, and related subjects.
Later, the 4-H after-school curriculum was expanded to include
technical programs, such as the 4-H Science Initiative, which
supports the STEM program implemented by the US government
to improve the science and technical skills of elementary and
secondary school students.
The goals of the 4-H Science Initiative and STEM program are
being promoted through projects such as the USDA’s Economic
Research Services Food Environment Atlas. For this project, 4-H
clubs have collected data regarding the availability of wholesome
food within their communities. Other projects have included work
with local US Fish and Wildlife professionals, mapping wildlife
refuges and identifying areas of concern for future monitoring.
Clubs have also mapped invasive weed infestations and assisted
with local disaster preparedness plans. These projects allow club
members to not only improve their STEM skills but also meet 4-H
requirements for community service projects.
Since its inception in 2004, the 4-H GIS Software Grant Program,
sponsored by Esri, has helped more than 725 4-H clubs begin
and sustain GIS programs for their members with grants of
ArcGIS software and Virtual Campus training.
Esther Worker, informal education manager at Esri, says, “The GIS
software grants have empowered 4-H youth to take an active role
in researching and investigating their communities. 4-H youth are
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
A map depicting all the conservation areas and cities in Mahaska
County, Iowa. It was the first map created by the 4-H Southeast Area
Tech Team.
4-H Club GIS Programs Support Science and Technology Training
24
learning about community, technology, and careers as a result of
Since her involvement with the club, the local 4-H Southeast Area
their GIS service projects.
Tech Team has completed a number of GIS-based community
“Another benefit derived from the relationship between Esri and
4-H is the opportunity for the 4-H national GIS/GPS leadership
team to send delegates to Esri’s annual Education User
Conference [EdUC]. The team comprises selected 4-H youth and
their adult mentors from across the United States. At the EdUC,
projects that include plotting the location of available industrial
properties for economic redevelopment; creating trail and facility
maps in local recreational areas; and mapping cultural, retail, and
commercial downtown districts for the Oskaloosa Chamber of
Commerce.
they participate in local mapping projects, attend sessions and
workshops, and present projects they have been working on
during the preceding year.”
Debbie Stevens, adjunct professor at William Penn University,
has been a volunteer with her local 4-H Club in Oskaloosa, Iowa,
for more than six years. The area has a long history with 4-H,
and many current members have great-grandparents who were
once in the same local club. Because 4-H is a traditional part of
community life, Stevens has been successful in raising money
from local businesses for funding special projects, such as buying
the equipment needed for their mobile tech lab.
“Our community leaders didn’t know much about GIS at the
time,” says Stevens, “but because we were focusing on the
benefits to youth and using emerging technology, prominent
businessmen supported the project and had faith that our 4-H
youth would benefit, as would our community. We were able to
purchase 10 laptops, a wireless printer, digital camera, GPS kit
A map of available industrial properties in Oskaloosa, Iowa, created for the
local economic development group for strategic planning purposes.
(with 10 Garmin eTrex units and 10 compasses), and 2 Recons.”
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
4-H Club GIS Programs Support Science and Technology Training
25
The group is currently preparing a major project with officials
“So when you can connect young people to an activity that is
in Oskaloosa that involves a citywide inventory of all ash trees.
relevant in nearly any career path—transportation, government,
The data collected will be used to institute an abatement
business, science, conservation, environment, education,
program in the event of an emerald ash borer infestation. This
agriculture, emergency planning, forestry, fire fighting,
highly destructive insect was first detected in the United States
community planning, health care—and the application is fun, you
about 10 years ago and has spread rapidly since that time. The
can’t lose!”
data collected by the 4-H group will also be made available to
the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which is
coordinating a national effort to minimize the ecological impact
(This article originally appeared in the Winter 2011/2012 issue of ArcNews
Online.)
of this invasive insect.
The club also maps the locations of local hog confinements,
referred to as confined animal feeding operations. Mapping
these sites provides critical health and planning information
for the community, as hogs living in confined areas produce
excessive amounts of excrement that decomposes into a variety
of particulate matter and toxic gases, including ammonia and
hydrogen sulfide. When these gases are released into the
atmosphere, they can be detrimental to the health of those in the
area.
Stevens concludes, “This is the information age, and it is
critically important for youth to learn IT skills. I can think of no
better information management system than GIS—all pertinent
information is stored in tables directly related to locations on a
map. The map is used to paint a picture with that data. Whether
it is about climate or transportation, a map is much easier to read
and understand than analyzing the related spreadsheet.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
4-H Club GIS Programs Support Science and Technology Training
26
Intensive Summer Course for High School Students
Skills Flow from Water Study Program
By Nicole Minni, University of Delaware
A summer program for Delaware high school students used GIS
They looked at examples of the techniques Villanova University is
and GPS technologies to reinforce math and science skills while
using to control flow rate and filter runoff. Using ArcGIS, students
studying how water flows in and around the Georgetown campus
learned how to heads-up digitize pervious and impervious
of Delaware Technical & Community College (DTCC). This U.S.
surfaces using a high-resolution, infrared digital orthophotograph
Department of Education funded TRIO program met one day per
week for six weeks during the summer of 2007.
Four presentations kicked off the first day of the summer
program. “Using GIS to Study Human Impact,” “Understanding
Watersheds,” “Using GIS as a Tool for the Research Question,”
and “GPS/Geocache Instruction” introduced various aspects of
the research that the student would undertake. Students also
learned how to use GPS units by participating in a scavenger
hunt on campus that also introduced them to geospatial-related
career choices. After locating each station using coordinates,
students listened to presentations by professionals in a variety of
fields including nursing/paramedics, soil and water conservation,
communications, biotechnology, educational technology, and
architectural engineering.
The second day began with a presentation on how surface
porosity affects a watershed’s health. Students discussed surface
types they had seen on campus with their leader and teacher.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Students diligently placed storm drain medallions on the DTCC campus,
creating awareness that the storm water leads to Deep Creek and that
what we do on land affects water quality.
Intensive Summer Course for High School Students
27
as a basemap. They digitized data on sidewalks, parking lots,
how a storm in 2006 destroyed two bridges on campus. The staff
storm water ponds, building footprints, and grass areas.
reexamined how the storm drainage system worked and made
improvements to it. Using a map and GPS units, the students
collected location data for storm drains, infiltration trenches, and
manholes.
The group was divided into indoor and outdoor teams on the
fourth day. The indoor team continued working on the data
needed to finalize their research and maps, while the outdoor
team placed storm drain medallions around the campus that
read “No Dumping, Drains to Creek.” Students chose medallions
One of the high-quality and detailed maps that students
created for this project
After reviewing the watershed connection—how what is done
on land affects water quality—at the beginning of the third day,
students used GIS to look at where they were on campus in
relation to water bodies. They discovered that water from the
campus flows from Deep Creek into the Nanticoke River, which
empties into the Chesapeake Bay.
The students began feeling they were a part of something bigger.
A guest speaker from DTCC’s grounds maintenance staff told
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Through their use of GPS and GIS, students were able
to learn the importance of drainage systems, identify
drainage problems on campus, and find solutions for
these problems.
Intensive Summer Course for High School Students
28
with a frog graphic because frogs can tell quite a bit about water
quality.
On day five, the students journeyed to Trap Pond State Park.
Located in the Nanticoke Watershed, it is also known as
Delaware’s Cypress Swamp. Students learned some of the history
and benefits of bald cypress trees and how non-point-source
pollution runoff resulted in a ban on swimming at the park. Next
they took a tour of Perdue’s AgriRecycle Center, where they
learned that farmers are helping clean up Delaware’s waterways
by having chicken litter removed from their farms, recycled, and
shipped to other places to use as fertilizer.
On the sixth and final day, the students recapped what they had
learned. Through their use of GPS and GIS, students were able
to learn the importance of drainage systems, identify drainage
•Creating a native-plantings buffer around the southern end of
the storm water pond
•Placing more trash receptacles around the campus
•Replacing blacktop with pervious pavement in staff parking
areas
•Investigating the idea of green roofs on campus
They asserted that through maintaining and respecting the
environment, students and others in the community can foster a
better quality of life.
To learn more about the TRIO program, visit http://www.dtcc.
edu/owens/ccp/SSS_Trio/Pages/TRIO1.htm. To learn more about
GIS in Delaware, visit http://stateplanning.delaware.gov/dgdc/.
problems on campus, and find solutions for these problems while
(This article originally appeared in the Summer 2009 issue of GIS Educator
creating awareness in the community. They observed that poor
newsletter.)
drainage leads to pollution and land runoff which, in turn, affects
the land or body of water into which it drains. With storm water,
sediments and other pollutants damage the fish, wildlife, and
plants.
The students’ energy and excitement was evident. Some of their
suggestions for improvements on the college campus included
•Replacing the raised bed by the entrance with a bioinfiltration
traffic island
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Intensive Summer Course for High School Students
29
Strengthening STEM Career Paths with GIS
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Strengthening STEM Career Paths with GIS
30
Maine High School Geography Teacher
Emphasizes Geospatial Thinking
By Jim Baumann, Esri
Longtime Bangor High School geography teacher Margaret
Chernosky’s epiphany came nearly 10 years ago in an advanced
placement (AP) human geography training course.
“The instructor showed us some of the Atlanta [Georgia]
demographic data in a desktop GIS, and I sat there completely
enthralled. Completely. I realized that this is how you teach
geography.”
Chernosky knew that to successfully integrate GIS technology
into her own classroom instruction, she would have to first master
it herself. Initially, she took online classes. Later, she attended
training seminars in Colorado, Costa Rica, and New Zealand.
“Besides being fun,” says Chernosky, “the travel brought me
into contact with people around the world that were equally
enthusiastic about GIS. I’m still in contact with many of the
people I met at the seminars. It’s a real community.”
Bangor High School students created this poster and many more using
geospatial analysis and ArcGIS.
During this period, in addition to her full-time teaching
Throughout this period, Chernosky had become familiar with
responsibilities, Chernosky earned a masters of education degree
ArcGIS software and Esri’s training courses. When she introduced
in geospatial education. “My motivation was to not only learn as
GIS to Bangor High School students in small steps, she assigned
much about geospatial technology as I could but also to learn
participation in Esri’s Community Atlas project to her 2005 AP
how to think geospatially. And this is what I try to bring to my
human geography class. Students and teachers throughout the
students—this new way of looking at the landscape.”
United States annually contribute to the Community Atlas by
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Maine High School Geography Teacher Emphasizes Geospatial Thinking
31
examining aspects of where they live, then posting descriptions
Students complete two major projects during the year. The first
and maps of their community related to their findings.
is participation in National Geographic’s annual Geography
The following year, Chernosky proposed the addition of an
elective class, GIS in geography, to the Bangor Area School
District, which was subsequently approved. Today, because of
strong student demand, two sections of the GIS in geography
course are offered. While they are open to all students,
Chernosky encourages sophomore participation so that those
students can apply the GIS skills they have gained to their other
high school courses, such as history and science. The maximum
Action! program. Themes change each year and focus on either
a location, such as Europe and Africa, or an aspect of physical
or human geography, for example, conservation, cultures, and
habitats. Chernosky tries to get her class to complete this project
by mid-November in time for Geography Awareness Week.
She has forged a relationship with the local newspaper, Bangor
Daily News, and the editor publishes a full-page color spread
highlighting the classroom work for five successive days.
class size for the GIS course is 16 students. Because the classes
Says Chernosky, “We have a relatively small, close-knit
have a limited number of students and the required projects that
community here in Bangor, and the newspaper is truly committed
the students work on are completed in pairs, there is a great deal
to education. In addition, the editor and I have developed a
of interaction and cooperation among the students. Stacy Doore,
reciprocal relationship. When needed, I help him with graphics
a GK12 Sensor fellow, University of Maine, Spatial Engineering,
that require maps. For example, on election night I plot the
has worked with Chernosky for several years to develop and
results in ArcGIS Desktop in time for him to meet the press
teach the GIS in geography course.
deadline for the next morning’s newspaper.”
The five steps of geographic inquiry provide the basis of
The students’ year-end capstone projects focus on the analysis of
instruction that Chernosky employs in her classroom to direct
local or regional issues that have a direct impact on the students
her students in the creation and completion of GIS projects.
themselves or their community. Chernosky initially holds a
The steps include the following: ask geographic questions,
brainstorming session with the class, and they discuss local issues
acquire geographic resources, explore geographic data, analyze
to develop the related geographic questions necessary to direct
geographic information, and act on geographic knowledge.
their projects.
She introduces the concepts gradually to the class, discussing
articles found in ArcNews and ArcUser so that students can gain
a greater understanding of the geographic inquiry method.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
“Basically, we look for projects that are of local interest, deal
with local concerns, and have relevant data available,” explains
Maine High School Geography Teacher Emphasizes Geospatial Thinking
32
Chernosky. “The majority of our data comes from the Maine
provide them with a greater understanding and awareness of the
Office of GIS. Its rich datasets are online and downloadable. From
many things they will encounter.
there, we get topographic maps, contours, rivers, roads—really
high-quality, complete base files to work with. We acquire other
(This article originally appeared in the Winter 2010/2011 issue of ArcNews.)
required geospatial data from local agencies. Or if need be, we
create our own data.” The students have a variety of GIS software
available to them, including ArcGIS, ArcGIS 3D Analyst, ArcGIS
Spatial Analyst, ArcGIS Network Analyst, ArcGIS Publisher, and
ArcLogistics.
The completed capstone projects are subsequently entered
into the Maine State GIS Championships, where the students
personally present their finished work to the judging panel. In the
2009 contest, a sampling of the projects included “The Answer,
My Friend, Is Blowing in the Wind,” “Optimizing School Bus
Routes,” “Air Quality Monitoring in Penobscot County, Maine,”
“Determining Wireless Signal Using Indoor GIS,” “Access to
Health Care in Rural Maine,” and “Cancer and Poverty in Maine.”
In 2010, students examined the temporal and spatial patterns of
crimes to motor vehicles in Bangor. After the contest, students
presented their work to the Bangor Police Department.
Concludes Chernosky, “I’m not necessarily trying to convince
my students to follow careers in GIS, though I believe there are
many very exciting opportunities open to them. My goal is to get
them to see things in a new way. I want them to really understand
the spatial component of the steady stream of information
bombarding their daily lives and how geospatial thinking can
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Maine High School Geography Teacher Emphasizes Geospatial Thinking
33
The Learning is Exponential: Using a
Community-Based Approach
By Susan Harp, Esri
This article is the first in a series honoring
Community Based Education Model (CBEM), is an innovative
individuals who have made a difference in the
approach that seeks to motivate and strengthen learning by
world by applying a GIS solution to challenges or
involving students in real world issues that require math and
needs within their communities. Since these unique
individuals have been selected for their innovations
or special achievements in a particular field, the
series is appropriately named GIS Heroes. The
first honoree, Mark G. Ericson, works in the field of
education.
science skills. CBEM also seeks, through community involvement,
to motivate students to continue their educations and return to
their communities to work.
When SFIS science instructor
Mark G. Ericson helped design
Over its 110-year history, the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS) has
SFIS’s first CBEM curriculum in
evolved from a federally run school to becoming, in the 1970s,
1996, he already had almost
the nation’s first Indian-run school for Native Americans. Today
a decade of experience
owned and operated by the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, the
teaching at SFIS, so he had a
middle school and high school accommodate both day and
good understanding of local
boarding students from tribes all over New Mexico. Appropriate
education and community
for its Native American student population, the school offers
issues. He is also the catalyst for
coursework in Native American history but also strives to prepare
using GIS to bring his students
students with technical skills they need in the modern world.
and their communities together.
Not only are the students at SFIS learning computer skills and
scientific research concepts in the process, but they are also
learning how to communicate and work with professionals
and elders in their tribal communities. This program, called
Advancing STEM Education with GIS For the past five years, under
Ericson’s instruction, SFIS students have been using GIS skills
to participate in and contribute to environmental and water
management programs in their communities.
The Learning is Exponential: Using a Community-Based Approach
34
“I was looking for something that could be used as a foundation
to create an expandable base that students could add to based
upon their work in the community,” says Ericson. “The use of GIS
has been the technological core.” He and other CBEM curriculum
developers worked with community members as equal partners
to select relevant projects. Since many issues were based on the
environment, Ericson investigated combining computers and
geography as a way to use the 24-computer laboratory that Intel
Corporation had provided for CBEM. Program funding came
from the U.S. Department of Energy. Through contact with local
agencies involved in land management, Ericson heard about
ArcView software and started teaching himself how to use it for
classroom instruction; later, he would go to Esri headquarters in
Redlands for more training.
Ericson’s course teaches students GIS software skills to use in
community projects. Over the past seven years, CBEM students
have used GIS to map back roads and tribal land boundaries.
They have participated in wetlands restoration projects, ground
and surface water monitoring, and longitudinal aquatic habitat
assessments. They use U.S. Geological Survey data on their
reservations and watersheds and digital elevation models to
create a master map with the ArcGIS Spatial Analyst extension.
Their master map provides a base for further learning such as
using ArcView software’s hydrologic modeling extension to derive
stream channels and watershed basin flows. In the process, they
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Top and bottom: CBEM students use GIS and
hydrologic modeling to visualize the extent of the
watersheds that feed their reservations.
The Learning is Exponential: Using a Community-Based Approach
35
have learned skills that help them continue their educations or
projects such as mapping utility manholes and georeferencing
find jobs.
house addresses.
“When students wade through a stream trying to get a clear GPS
As a measure of the school’s success, in 1987 the United States
signal to map study area boundaries, the learning is substantial;
Department of Education listed the school as one of 270
when the data is then realized in a multidimensional mapping
outstanding secondary schools in America. Of the 70 to 90
database, the learning is exponential,” says Ericson.
students graduating each year, about 90 percent of them plan to
He adds that students also discover new things about themselves,
go on to attend postsecondary schools.
such as their ability to understand and apply technical concepts,
For more information on, or to suggest a candidate for, the GIS
communicate these ideas to others in a public setting, and
Heroes series, contact info@esri.com.
contribute as citizens to their communities. As a result, more than
half of the approximately 200 students who have participated in
CBEM continue in further education and community work related
(This article originally appeared in the Fall 2006 issue of GIS Educator
newsletter.)
to issues studied during their coursework.
“Mark’s use of GIS has given the CBEM students the opportunity
to learn in high school at the highest level in terms of computers
and technology,” says CBEM community liaison Matthew S.
Pecos. “The communities get the direct benefit of the skills and
knowledge these students have acquired.”
“The kids are proud of what they can do, they are lifting their
heads up high because they know they have a skill that many
other people do not have, and they have progressed in other
areas because of that,” says Theresa Chavez, past CBEM
coordinator and currently SFIS middle school coordinator. Many
students have worked summer jobs doing community GIS
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
The Learning is Exponential: Using a Community-Based Approach
36
Spatial Statistics Provide New Insights: Researcher
Sees Possible Links Between MS and Other Diseases
By Susan Harp, Esri
George de Mestral envisioned the design of the Velcro fastener
been using spatial statistics tools to analyze that distribution. She
in 1948 while picking burr-covered seedpods from his dog’s
has continued reading about the neurological and biochemical
fur after a mountain hike. As the story goes, the Swiss citizen
aspects of the disease. However, her ah hah! moment occurred at
stopped to observe the sticking qualities of Mother Nature’s
a science fair while she was talking with one of the judges about
design and made the leap to a new, creative application. With
her map of MS distribution in New Jersey.
the avalanche of information available to researchers today, the
catalyst that helps produce this kind of “ah hah!” moment is
extremely valuable.
For Megan M. Blewett, a young 21st-century researcher, spatial
geography played a role in both her ah-hah! experience and her
research. Blewett turned 18 in 2007, but five years ago, she was
already reading a neuroscience textbook and asking questions
about a mysterious disease—multiple sclerosis (MS)—that she
found described in its pages. Blewett said, “I started researching
MS when I was 12 and have since fallen in love with discovering
the insights spatial statistics can give.”
MS affects the central nervous system. Although its cause is
unknown, many researchers think environmental triggers might
be a factor. This unsolved puzzle caught Blewett’s attention.
She started collecting data about MS cases in her home state of
Normalized count of multiple sclerosis deaths by county for 1998 over
1990 census data
New Jersey, learned to map their distribution with GIS, and has
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Spatial Statistics Provide New Insights: Researcher Sees
Possible Links Between MS and Other Diseases
37
“I just got lucky there,” commented Blewett. “I was looking at
if I had been using more conventional chemical research to look
a state map of MS distribution and saw that my county, Morris
at individual proteins at work,” Blewett added. “Spatial statistics
County, has a high incidence of MS. You could see individual
allowed me to see the bigger picture. Then I zoomed in to look
towns, and I knew the town next to me had a high incidence of
at proteins at work in MS and related demyelinating diseases. I
Lyme disease.” A bacterial infection, Lyme disease is spread by
like to say my research path is analogous to reading the summary
tick-borne spirochetes. She was already using ArcGIS Desktop
before reading the book.”
to map MS distribution, so when she started thinking about a
possible Lyme disease correlation, she added Lyme data to her
map layers.
The data collection process was one of the harder parts her
research. Data came from TheDataWeb, an online set of libraries,
and DataFerrett, a data mining tool, both provided free to the
“I saw all these correlations and results that I hadn’t been able
public by the United States Bureau of the Census and the Centers
to see before and still don’t think I would have been able to see
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When Lyme disease
data was not available online, Blewett had to contact the state
epidemiologist and request data. Eventually she received data
from every state. “To my knowledge, it is the largest standardized
dataset of Lyme information in existence,” said Blewett about the
dataset. She also said she is willing to make the data available to
other researchers.
Blewett ran a correlation analysis. She calculated a Pearson’s
correlation coefficient (r) (for the normally distributed variables)
or Kendall’s tau-b or Spearman’s rho for data that was not
normally distributed. All correlation analyses assumed a linear
relationship between the variables so the appropriate coefficient
was calculated for pairs of variables in three datasets. All variable
values were converted to z-scores for use in a regression analysis.
Normalized count of Lyme disease deaths by county for 1998 over 1990
census data
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Finally, cartographic analyses compared MS, Lyme (from other
SpatialStatisticsProvideNewInsights:ResearcherSeesPossibleLinksBetweenMSandOtherDiseases
38
specified arthropod-borne diseases data), and control data from
Megan’s work examines the spatial fingerprint of these two
external cause of death data.
diseases at broad spatial scales and then tests hypotheses
“The two disease distributions were pretty similar—they correlate
regarding their spatial correlation,” said Scott.
and the control doesn’t,” explained Blewett. “Biochemically
“I wish to expand my research from a national to a global scale,
they are also very similar, so it has just taken off from there.” She
while also testing my models in smaller geographic areas,”
hypothesizes that both diseases may share a common spirochetal
Blewett said. “A recent study suggests that MS is, in fact, 50
basis, and MS might develop from a secondary tick bite.
percent more common than previously predicted.”
Blewett consulted with Esri spatial statistics expert Lauren Scott
Blewett presented her work at the 2006 Esri International User
on using GIS in her research. “While biologists and medical
Conference and participated in the Academic Fair during the
researchers investigate this hypothesis at the cellular level,
2006 Esri Health GIS Conference. In 2007, she was accepted
into several top universities and awarded seventh place in the
prestigious 66th Annual Intel Science Talent Search.
(This article originally appeared in the October–December 2007 issue of
ArcUser.)
Control data: normalized count of external causes of death by county for
1998 over 1990 census data
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
SpatialStatisticsProvideNewInsights:ResearcherSeesPossibleLinksBetweenMSandOtherDiseases
39
Collaborations and Partnerships
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Collaborations and Partnerships
40
Unlocking the Educational Potential of Citizen Science
“Geo Learning”
A column by Daniel C. Edelson,Vice President for Education, National Geographic Society
I have been a fan of citizen science
geography projects, the data is georeferenced and used for
for many years, but I do not think
spatial analysis.
the citizen science movement has
had the educational impact that it
could. Citizen science is the name
for scientific research projects that
engage members of the public in
some aspect of their research. There
have been some high-profile citizen
science projects recently in which members of the public have
Community geography projects can be a boon for researchers.
Volunteer data collectors provide investigators with the
opportunity to obtain a quantity and geographic range of data
that would not be practical through any other mechanism. They
are also a boon to participants, who get to join a community;
participate in something meaningful; and, in many cases, learn
some new science.
conducted image analysis and solved protein-folding problems,
For as long as I’ve known about them, I’ve been fascinated by the
but the overwhelming majority of citizen science projects involve
educational possibilities of community geography projects. I’m
crowdsourced data collection
a big believer in both inquiry-based learning and breaking down
For example, some of the largest and longest-running citizen
science projects are in ornithology. In projects like the National
Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count and the British Trust
for Ornithology’s Garden Birdwatch, birders contribute their
the boundaries between school and the real world. Community
geography does both—except for one thing. Collecting data
is only one part of the scientific process, and most community
geography projects only engage participants in data collection.
observations to databases that scientists use to track trends in
In the stereotypical community geography project, participants
bird populations and species distributions.
take measurements or record observations and submit them
These two projects, like many others, fall into a category of citizen
science project that I call community geography. In community
Advancing STEM Education with GIS to a central database for scientists to analyze. In some cases,
participants are able to see a map of the data that has been
submitted or see results of previous analyses that have been
Unlocking the Educational Potential of Citizen Science
41
conducted by scientists. However, it is very rare that participants
ability to visualize and analyze their own data using GIS. We call
have a chance to create and interpret visualizations or analyze
this platform FieldScope. The idea behind FieldScope is that it
data themselves.
is designed specifically to support citizen scientists—individuals
who are interested and invested in researching a specific scientific
question but who lack the training or technical skills of a scientist.
This has required that we create easy-to-use interfaces and offer
users a set of analytic tools that are either familiar or easy for a
novice to grasp.
One of the first FieldScope projects that we deployed is
dedicated to studying water quality in the tributaries to the
Chesapeake Bay. Working together with environmental educators
throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, we identified
a set of water quality measurements that could be done by
students and teachers across a wide range of grades, and we
A FieldScope map from the Chesapeake Water Quality Project showing a
student's water quality measurement.
created a FieldScope application that displays not just studentcollected water quality data but also a wide variety of data
layers describing the land in the watershed, including land use,
impermeability, and nitrogen yield.
After talking to organizers of community geography projects,
I’ve learned that most of them would prefer to provide their
participants with opportunities to work with the data, but they
lack the resources or expertise to create tools that would enable
their participants to do their own visualization or analysis.
We also provided users with analysis tools that enable them to
create time plots and scatterplots for the data that they have
collected, and we implemented a set of hydrologic analysis tools
that will help them understand the underlying dynamics of the
watershed. For example, we have provided users with a flow path
So, a few years ago, National Geographic—with support from
tool that allows them to click anywhere in the watershed and see
Esri and others—set out to create a web-based platform for
the path that water will flow from that point to the bay. Users
community geography that would provide participants with the
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Unlocking the Educational Potential of Citizen Science
42
might employ this tool to see the portion of the river system that
in geospatial analysis of data. In part, their enthusiasm stems
would be affected by a point source of pollution.
from the fact that it’s data about their own community that they
This Chesapeake water quality project has proved very popular in
public schools; in the two years that it has been active, more than
600 teachers have received training on the software, and we have
recorded more than 40,000 visits to the site. It is also succeeding
helped collect. Administrators, in turn, are seeing that the entire
experience of community geography is enabling them to achieve
important learning outcomes for both science understanding and
science skills.
in engaging users in analysis. In the first three quarters of 2011,
Our goal over the next few years is to bring this powerful
we recorded more than 75,000 geoprocessing events and more
educational experience to as broad an audience as possible,
than 45,000 uses of the query tools.
young and old, in school and out.
In the 2011–12 school year, both Fairfax County, Virginia, and
For more information about National Geographic FieldScope
Anne Arundel County, Maryland, have incorporated the project
and the Community Geography Initiative, visit natgeoed.org/
into their science curricula for all middle school students.
fieldscope.
With support from the National Science Foundation, we are
Read other articles in the GeoLearning series.
currently in the process of expanding FieldScope’s functionality
and creating authoring tools that will enable the broadest
(This article originally appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of ArcNews.)
possible community of citizen science projects to build
FieldScope applications for their own users. This spring, we will
be launching FieldScope applications for two national community
geography projects: Project BudBurst, which is studying
plant phenology, and Frogwatch, USA, which is studying the
distribution of amphibian species.
FieldScope, with its carefully designed user interface and
specially selected GIS tools, is beginning to unlock the potential
of citizen science as a learning experience. Teachers and students
have responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to participate
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Unlocking the Educational Potential of Citizen Science
43
Students and Farmers Become Citizen Scientists
GIS Helps Community Investigate Local Lizard
By Karen Dvornich, University of Washington and Dan Hannafious, Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group
Editor’s note: Attendees at the 2005 Esri International
It all started in 1993 when Diane Petersen and Cathi Nelson,
User Conference Plenary Session witnessed a live ArcView
fourth- and fifth-grade teachers at Waterville Elementary
demonstration by three fifth-grade students. The demonstration
School in the state of Washington, were investigating ways to
was an example of how GIS technology was infused into school
engage their students in meaningful science inquiry. Traditional
curriculum and field activities. These students represented 126
curriculum messages of saving tropical rainforests and
others who participated in a citizen science research project
endangered species had little appeal to youngsters most familiar
called Adopt-a-Farmer.
with the farm fields in the high plateau of eastern Washington.
Petersen and Nelson discovered the NatureMapping program,
which was designed to develop citizen scientists (both students
and community members) by nurturing the local knowledge
of place through science projects created in collaboration with
the needs of regional biologists. The NatureMapping program
provides initial teacher training and guidance to implement
a comprehensive curriculum based on scientific inquiry. The
program then helps develop local projects in part to verify range
distribution maps modeled for every terrestrial vertebrate in the
state.
Waterville Elementary School students observed shorthorned lizards (Phrynosoma douglassii) in farm fields in
areas that conflicted with the modeled range distribution
maps.
The Development of a Long-Term Project
Early in the project development with Waterville Elementary
School, students discovered that local observations of short-
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Students and Farmers Become Citizen Scientists
44
horned lizards (Phrynosoma douglassii) in farm fields were in
conflict with the modeled range distribution maps. The statewide
maps, created by the Washington Gap Analysis Project, were
modeled from 96 historical observations presented in the
1997 report, Amphibians and Reptiles of Washington State:
Location Data and Predicted Distributions. Though students and
community members have lived with the lizards (also known as
horny toads) in the farm fields, the modeled range distribution
maps showed that the lizards weren’t supposed to be there.
Scientists, teachers, and students reviewed horny toad literature
and local knowledge, developed a list of questions, and designed
a spreadsheet with 22 attributes. Students first collated data
on paper, then in the spreadsheet. Each year, the new students
would use data from previous years to build their knowledge
about scientific methodology, database management, and GIS.
The new class of students would contribute additional data to
the project and each year expanded the scope of the project to
answer their own questions.
Parents and Local Community
In 1999, the Adopt-a-Farmer project began. This project is a
creative way to obtain more data by asking farmers to report
observations when they are out in their fields. The fourth-grade
students wrote letters to the farmers they wanted to adopt.
Horny toad sighting observations were marked on the
maps and labeled with numbered dots.
The NatureMapping program scientists supported the project
by providing habitat descriptions and classification codes and
worked with the students to design a data collection form.
Students sent the form with instructions to their adopted farmers.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Students and Farmers Become Citizen Scientists
45
Farmers were asked to visit the school in the fall and bring their
Accompanying data was entered into the project spreadsheet at
data from the fields. In preparation for their first visit, the class
the same time.
created a slide presentation that introduced the project and GIS.
By the fourth year, Waterville students and their adopted farmers
Inviting the farmers, parents, and members of the local
had collected more than 300 data observations. The expanding
conservation district to help the students in a research project
database was linked to the digitized points and overlaid on digital
opened the door for questions such as What is GIS? What is
orthophotos and other statewide data coverage of rivers and
Esri, and is that different from ArcView? What good is GIS in the
roads. This allowed students to query the data and enforced
classroom? How is this project going to help my child in school?
database structure. It also helped these students develop a
Are horny toads an endangered species? The audience initially
deeper sense of science inquiry.
felt that GIS was a technology reserved for trained professionals
and had difficulty imagining the technology being used by
elementary school students. The audience was won over not
only by the teachers’ perseverance but also by the work students
posted on their Web site and their explanation of what they did
and why they needed more data.
Visiting the Classroom
The farmers were not only familiar with topographic maps, but
they were also very good at training students how to use them.
Horny toad sighting observations were marked on the maps and
labeled with numbered dots. The other attributes from the data
The cooperative development of a science plan that would work
in the classroom and in the field with the farmers was critical for
the long-term success of this ongoing school project. In addition,
the observations provided by the participating farmers as well
as the students helped these students become state experts on
short-horned lizards.
For students, it was important that GIS was used to answer their
questions using their data. For teachers, it was about the genuine
enthusiasm created by engaging the students in their local
interests.
collection forms were reported on large poster paper at different
GIS Mentorship
stations within the classroom. After the farmers’ visit, students
There were two roles for the GIS mentor. The first involved
used the labeled maps as the basis for on-screen digitizing
database management. Computers set up in the classroom and
of these locations using digital topographic maps in ArcView.
the school district computer network did not come with standard
protocols for file storage and access. It was essential that the
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Students and Farmers Become Citizen Scientists
46
Waterville School District had outside technical support for GIS
maintain data integrity. The GIS mentor, whose phone number
to help manage the data structure and nomenclature. Installing
was written on the edge of the computer screen, could be called
ArcView on a variety of classroom computers was efficient for
at any time when students were working with ArcView.
teaching purposes as long as there was someone to help teachers
Students tended to select their type of involvement in the project
based on expertise and interest. Many students had an aptitude
for technology and were not afraid to learn and use ArcView.
Typically, two to four students each year were taught Microsoft
Excel and ArcView 3.2 by the GIS mentor. In turn, they trained
their peers. Students not directly involved with ArcView assisted
by writing text, making graphs, creating graphics, and taking and
posting pictures for the Web site. However, all students learned
to create map layouts of their farmers’ lands and the associated
horny toad observations.
Support from School Administrators
Initially, support from the community, school administration,
scientists, and GIS mentors made it possible for the teachers
to build their confidence and knowledge about scientific
methodology, database management, and GIS. Students’
questions prompted additional research, which resulted in the
overwintering project, food preference study, behavioral studies,
and the radio tracking project. Teachers also learned how to
Some students were taught Microsoft Excel and ArcView
3.2 by the GIS mentor, then trained their peers. Other
students wrote text; created graphics; took and posted
pictures for the Web site; and, as shown here, created
graphs.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
use other GIS tools for performing queries, making distance
measurements, converting individual farmers’ fields into separate
shapefiles, and creating layouts. The database, which began with
Students and Farmers Become Citizen Scientists
47
96 historic records collected by scientists, now has more than 600
financial support to the project to allow student travel, which has
new records from farmers and students.
translated into success for everyone involved.
The NatureMapping program’s teacher training focuses on
understanding the scientific, mathematic, geographic, and
In 2006
technical content necessary to teach what students need to learn
Each fall, farmers come back to the classroom to submit their
to work on their projects as well as helping teachers understand
data to a new group of students. In 2006, students showed
how to connect what is taught with school district and state
the farmers how to digitize their observations onto digital
standard requirements for that grade level. Many components of
orthophotos. In the past, the farmers spent a lot of time watching
GIS are part of the Washington state tests, even if GIS is not. The
students navigate to a location on the computer screen. Farmers
comprehensive integration of other subjects with the associated
expressed an interest in learning more about the technology,
science gives students many avenues to contribute to a project in
and they were given an opportunity to digitize the horny toad
ways that interest them.
observations under the guidance of the fourth graders.
As a result of the success of the Adopt-a-Farmer project,
Several students who were fourth graders in 2005 will present
students have been asked to provide presentations in state and
a book of maps that was requested by one of the farmers. The
national conferences. Travel, presentations, and networking with
book contains the location of all the farmers’ fields. Each field
the professional community as well as their own community
is highlighted and labeled with driving instructions, crops, and
have instilled a greater confidence in these students. Even the
other information. This GIS project was more than creating
students’ parents have become more interested in participating
maps and learning local geographic terminology—it allowed
in the education process because the program is based on local
the students and the farmer to design and develop a project
knowledge.
together. The students will offer other farmers the same product
Continuing support by the Waterville School District
as an after-school project.
administrators has allowed travel during school, helped cover
A significant change has come to Waterville Elementary School
substitute costs, helped find grants to cover equipment costs
and the surrounding community. Farmers and community
for fieldwork, and supported the teachers. It was also important
members are asking for specific maps. Students who participated
that the mentors and the professional community provided
in the project in previous years are being solicited for these
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Students and Farmers Become Citizen Scientists
48
projects. Teachers in the higher grade levels, with encouragement
Students that were involved in the Adopt-a-Farmer project now
from school administrators, are trying to find ways to integrate
range from fifth graders to juniors in high school, and they are
these requests into their curriculum.
excited to get back to doing research projects. Some of these
students may take over the more sophisticated aspects of the
horny toad research project such as using data loggers and
thermocouplers to see if horny toads do freeze in the winter.
Karen Dvornich is the cofounder and national director of the
NatureMapping program in the Washington Cooperative Fish
and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Washington. She
was the project assistant for the Washington Gap Analysis Project,
where she was responsible for collecting all databases and
datasets and led the amphibian and reptile distribution modeling
Students used the labeled maps as the basis for on-screen digitizing of
the locations of farmers' observations using digital topographic maps in
ArcView. Students, and now also the farmers, digitize observations onto
digital orthophotos.
Teachers are also beginning to ask their own scientific questions
and wondering if GIS can be applied to these questions. A search
for more GIS mentors in the community is taking place. The
supporting scientist will continue to help teachers design projects
that range from bird inventories, a map of healthy and diseased
trees in the city, and insect bioblitzes (i.e., quick inventories) to
efforts.
Dan Hannafious works as a fish biologist and GIS technician for
the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group. He is also active
in outdoor education—he provides overnight camps based
on salmon activities as well as summertime “bat talks” to the
community. He has been associated with the NatureMapping
program since 1995 and helps identify the support mechanisms
needed for NatureMapping schools using GIS.
(This article originally appeared in the January–March 2007 issue of ArcUser.)
finding what insects horny toads eat, addressing water quality
and quantity issues, and locating noxious weeds on farmers’
fields. These projects will be designed through a series of
continuing NatureMapping workshops.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Students and Farmers Become Citizen Scientists
49
Helping Conserve Resources in Natural Caves
Montana High School Students Incorporate GIS
By Hans Bodenhamer, Bigfork High School
Prior to using GIS, students and their teacher/ sponsor, Hans
Bodenhamer, mapped and established monitoring in 13 park
caves. One of these caves is more than one mile long. Cave
locations were recorded using GPS, but underground surveys
were completed using compasses, inclinometers, and tape
measures. Cave maps were at a scale of 1:240. After drafting
maps, students returned to the caves to photograph, record,
and assess the natural resources in each cave. The results of
monitoring efforts were drafted on maps created in Adobe
Photoshop, which were explained in a series of reports submitted
to the park. The number of student reports submitted since 2003
exceeds 200 pages and includes many oversized maps. One map
covers two sheets, each 8 feet long by 3 feet wide.
Students from Browning and Bigfork high schools, both in northwestern
Montana, volunteer at Glacier National Park, mapping, monitoring, and
conserving resources in natural caves.
In fall 2007, Denny Rae, GIS specialist with Flathead County,
Since 2003, students from Browning and Bigfork high schools,
GIS into his curriculum. Bodenhamer showed copies of the
both in northwestern Montana, have volunteered at Glacier
students’ reports to Rae, who suggested that putting the data
National Park, mapping, monitoring, and conserving resources in
into GIS would be an excellent student project. Rae contacted
natural caves. Recently, the project adopted a GIS component to
Bern Szukalski, Esri’s cave and karst program coordinator, who
help students manage and present their data.
prompted Esri to donate ArcGIS 9.3 software to Bigfork High
approached Bodenhamer with a proposal to incorporate
School. At that point, it became apparent that none of the
school’s computers were capable of running ArcGIS. For the next
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Helping Conserve Resources in Natural Caves
50
year and a half, Bodenhamer applied for grants. Finally, in spring
raster images and are set to be visible below a scale of 1:800. In
2009, Bigfork High School received a $10,000 grant from Best
addition to the detailed cave maps, a filled-in vector image of
Buy. This grant, one of only 15 awarded nationally, was given for
the cave map is included as a separate layer. The vector image
its innovative proposal to use real-world technology in a K–12
can be turned on to show the orientation of caves with respect
setting. Using the grant, computers were purchased for a GIS
to one another and the overlying topographic map or to provide
cave lab at the high school.
background for the raster cave map and other layers.
With computers on the way, Bodenhamer contacted Ben
Beyond raster and vector cave maps, a layer that provides
Sainsbury, GIS specialist at Central Washington University. In
general information is tied to the entrance of each cave. General
2000, as a graduate student at Northern Arizona University,
information includes entrance elevation, cave length and depth,
Sainsbury used GIS to present 10 years of photo monitoring of
average air temperatures, and overall classification of the cave’s
cave resources in Arizona. Sainsbury volunteered to help with
resource significance in comparison to other caves in the region.
the students’ cave project in Montana. He spent countless hours
Classified resources include biology, mineralogy, paleontology,
tutoring Bodenhamer in GIS and developed a procedure by
archaeology, geology, meteorology, and hydrology. Significance
which students could enter and manipulate their cave maps and
classes use readily understandable terms—none, poor, fair, good,
monitoring data. Bodenhamer took Sainsbury’s proceduresback
and outstanding—that are qualified in accompanying text.
to his students, who were eager and quickly learned the material.
Specific cave resources within each cave are also included in
In less than a month—thanks to many extracurricular hours—the
Bigfork High School’s cave GIS. Cave temperatures, graffiti (if
students had entered most of the data that had been amassed
present), mineralogy, biology, and photo points are all included
over five years. In early June of 2009, the students presented their
on separate layers. Points and polygons for these layers are
GIS to a gathering of about 20 park managers. The group was
located relative to features on the cave map. For mineralogy
very impressed and suggested the student project be expanded
and biology, features are described and classified according
to caves on nearby U.S. Forest Service lands and in other parks.
to significance, fragility, condition, and proposed management
Bigfork High School’s cave GIS uses scans of detailed cave
maps, which are cleaned up and oriented using Photoshop. The
action. Simple terms are used for each class, which are explained
in accompanying text.
cleaned-up maps are georeferenced on a topographic map as
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Helping Conserve Resources in Natural Caves
51
Acknowledgments
In addition to the contributions of Ben Sainsbury, Denny Rae, and
Bern Szukalski, this project would not have been possible without
the support and enthusiasm of Park Service managers Jack
Potter, chief of science and resource management; Kyle Johnson,
West Lakes District Backcountry Coordinator; Richard Menicke,
park GIS specialist, and Chas Cartwright, park superintendent.
Support funding for fieldwork was generously provided by the
Glacier National Park Fund.
(This article originally appeared in the Winter 2010 issue of GIS Educator
newsletter.)
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Helping Conserve Resources in Natural Caves
52
Conclusion: A Closer Look at the
Benefits of GIS in STEM Learning
By Joseph Kerski, Esri Education Manager
Just as STEM disciplines share such goals as using the scientific
how to carefully evaluate and use data. By being able to ask
method to solve problems, employing quantitative techniques,
questions of multiple datasets, students can analyze concepts
and integrating technology, so too can GIS be used across these
and processes in a holistic fashion. Consider climate as one
disciplines. GIS by its very nature is a multidisciplinary tool.
example. Climate underpins our agriculture, biodiversity, and our
Therefore, students and educators using GIS in STEM understand
very civilization. Climatic variables are intricately tied to locations
phenomena from a wide variety of disciplinary perspectives.
and are therefore affected by spatial relationships—of mountains
STEM prepares students for meaningful careers. Students using
GIS in the classroom and in the field gain skills that will help them
secure careers that are in demand in the work force. A key reason
is given by the national science education standards (Center for
Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education, 1996), which
state, “More and more jobs demand advanced skills, requiring
that people be able to learn, reason, think creatively, make
decisions, and solve problems. An understanding of science and
to ocean currents, of depressions to soil types, of vegetation to
human impact, and much more. Through GIS, students use maps,
satellite images, graphs, and databases that are focused on the
question of “where” to analyze patterns, trends, and influences
in the past, present, and future. These spatial thinking skills
may be of particular value to STEM students, as recent research
suggests STEM students with strong spatial skills are more likely
to experience early academic success in the field.
the processes of science contributes in an essential way to these
Every key issue of our time has a scientific component
skills.” Therefore, students using GIS tools are primed for STEM-
and, therefore, those issues can be examined from a STEM
based careers as wildlife biologists, soil scientists, landscape
perspective using GIS. Moreover, investigating these topics with
architects, civil engineers, environmental scientists, and hundreds
GIS lends relevancy and real-world contexts to the topics. Each
of other positions.
of these issues occurs somewhere and typically occurs in multiple
Students who use GIS in tandem with STEM education develop
key critical thinking skills. These skills include understanding
Advancing STEM Education with GIS locations and at a variety of scales. For example, natural hazards
have experienced much change in how they are perceived
and managed throughout history and around the globe. The
Conclusion: A Closer Look at the Benefits of GIS in STEM Learning
53
geographic perspective is therefore important in understanding
scientific issues, and GIS provides a rich toolset with which to use
the geographic perspective.
Not only are STEM-based topics enhanced by GIS, but
conversely, the use of GIS is enhanced by a firm grounding
in STEM. This grounding provides the framework by which
questions can be formulated and solutions pursued. Science is
a powerful way of looking at the world; even more fundamental
than the contents of each branch is the methodology. Asking
questions is the first part of scientific inquiry: it forms the basis
for knowing what types of social data to collect, what data to
analyze, and what decisions to make.
Given the widespread concerns faced by the modern world,
it is imperative that students study and understand STEM not
only to equip them for life in the twenty-first century but also to
ensure that we emerge at the end of the twenty-first century in
a sustainable way. Experience with geospatial technology builds
the integrated contextual background plus the skills in critical
thinking, problem solving, communicating, and collaborating that
are so vital for finding solutions to the many challenges we face.
Advancing STEM Education with GIS
Conclusion: A Closer Look at the Benefits of GIS in STEM Learning
54
Learn More
•Esri Education Community: edcommunity.esri.com/stem
•ArcLessons: edcommunity.esri.com/arclessons
•Esri Education on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/
esriedteam
•GIS Education Case Studies: edcommunity.esri.com/
community/caseStudies/
•GIS and Science Blog: http://gisandscience.com/
•ArcGIS Online: arcgis.com
Advancing STEM Education with GIS Learn More
55
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Software and Commercial Computer Software Documentation), as applicable. Contractor/Manufacturer is Esri, 380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92373-8100, USA.
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@esri.com, 3D Analyst, ACORN, Address Coder, ADF, AML, ArcAtlas, ArcCAD, ArcCatalog, ArcCOGO, ArcData, ArcDoc, ArcEdit, ArcEditor, ArcEurope, ArcExplorer, ArcExpress, ArcGIS, ArcGlobe, ArcGrid, ArcIMS, ARC/INFO, ArcInfo, ArcInfo Librarian, ArcLessons, ArcLocation, ArcLogistics, ArcMap, ArcNetwork, ArcNews, ArcObjects, ArcOpen, ArcPad, ArcPlot, ArcPress,
ArcPy, ArcReader, ArcScan, ArcScene, ArcSchool, ArcScripts, ArcSDE, ArcSdl, ArcSketch, ArcStorm, ArcSurvey, ArcTIN, ArcToolbox, ArcTools, ArcUSA, ArcUser, ArcView, ArcVoyager, ArcWatch, ArcWeb, ArcWorld, ArcXML, Atlas GIS, AtlasWare, Avenue, BAO, Business Analyst, Business Analyst Online, BusinessMAP, CommunityInfo, Database Integrator, DBI Kit, EDN, Esri, Esri—
Team GIS, Esri—The GIS Company, Esri—The GIS People, Esri—The GIS Software Leader, FormEdit, GeoCollector, Geographic Design System, Geography Matters, Geography Network, GIS by Esri, GIS Day, GIS for Everyone, GISData Server, JTX, MapIt, Maplex, MapObjects, MapStudio, ModelBuilder, MOLE, MPS—Atlas, PLTS, Rent-a-Tech, SDE, SML, Sourcebook·America,
SpatiaLABS, Spatial Database Engine, StreetMap, Tapestry, the ARC/INFO logo, the ArcGIS logo, the ArcGIS Explorer logo, the ArcPad logo, the Esri globe logo, the Esri Press logo, the GIS Day logo, the MapIt logo, The Geographic Advantage, The Geographic Approach, The World’s Leading Desktop GIS, Water Writes, arcgis.com, esri.com, geographynetwork.com, gis.
com, gisday.com, and Your Personal Geographic Information System are trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks or service marks of Esri in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions.
Other companies and products mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.
Esri inspires and enables people to positively impact their future
through a deeper, geographic understanding of the changing
world around them.
Governments, industry leaders, academics, and nongovernmental
organizations trust us to connect them with the analytic knowledge they
need to make the critical decisions that shape the planet. For more than
40 years, Esri has cultivated collaborative relationships with partners
who share our commitment to solving earth’s most pressing challenges
with geographic expertise and rational resolve. Today, we believe that
geography is at the heart of a more resilient and sustainable future.
Creating responsible products and solutions drives our passion for
improving quality of life everywhere.
Contact Esri
380 New York Street
Redlands, California 92373-8100 usa
1 800 447 9778
t 909 793 2853
f 909 793 5953
info@esri.com
esri.com
Offices worldwide
esri.com/locations
Printed in USA
G54239 ESRI7/12dh